Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-08-30
WslT TO pesmEr

~ VIE TOSS nHu .DAK0Galans Ihree
minutes past six last Saturday morning
the engine pulled the train from she
Northwestern depot at Yankton. The
writer was on the train, headed towards
De5met, K%ingsbury county. The engine
soon slaekened speed, halts at the crost !.
ing. The law of the company and the
law OF safety both require il. Another
start and wo were soon flying down the
river valley. Conductor Cooley soon
appears, punch in hand, to make day
light shine through my ticket. The
pleasant ~oountenanceo OF the conductor
suggests the reason for congratulations
by the people of Yankton that our rail-
roads here are manned by such compet-
ent and obliglng men, from station
agents to the train boys-men SO ready
to lend q helping hand to the needy
entering or leaving the train.
AS we move onward the large cornfelde
numerous stacks and groves here and
there go to onr rear. Now we are abreast
with pastures with numerous cattle
quietly feeding. Industry, life and
gladness appear in every scene. A new
beauty is now gwen to the picture in
tie peering rays of the sun through the
breaking clouds, for clouds and rain had
been the order for many previous days.
Aboard the moving train we counted
ninety-one stacks of ample proportions.
Then comes more stacks and cornfelds.
more cattle and more groves, and Center
vile is reached. Here we leave this
tain and wait more than 9 full hour fer
the north bound train, for we had taken
the early train. Bot this waiting is not
lost, for there wss Q good field among
the pile OF cobble stone near the water
tank and the ballasting OF the railroad
for the study of the ~zeologist. We soon
filed our basket With choice specimens
for the cabinet of Yankton college. We
then turned to look upon q mammoth
machine Just removed from the freight
car. We read, "New Era Grader and
Ditcher." We found ON euquiry that it
was run by from IL to 16 horses, that it
was capable of removing q thousand
yards of earth in ten hours and in the
same number OF hours load eight hun.
dred wagons. This grader is to begin
on the streets of Centerville. But the
waiting hour is past and the train ~stearas
up to the station and we are aboard
with more luggage than We had when
We left Yankton, for the railroad ballast.
ing, q portion OF 1t, is in our basket.
Another punch OF the well known O n
ductor n our eyes are among the pass.
ing fields and groves, corntields promis-
ing a remunerative harvest, herds of
cattle, stacks of grain and hay, then
more ooIntields, more stacks and more
herds, over aud again repeated, for this
is the land Of productions, the land of
Dakota, where nature works on q large
scale.
Between Hurley and Parker we made
q short halt at a grove where there was
q Methodist camp meeting in progress.
The tents were all sprsad, ore large
tent for the audience room in the center.
From a minister who came on our train
from the camp WI learned that the
meeting was under the conduct of the
Parker charge--tnat there were FIVE
ministers in attendance-that it had we'll
begun with a promise oil a hopeful
future and that it would. continue over
the Sabbath. When We passed the
grove on our return we found the meet
ing still progressing. ).
After we had passed Parker we saw
the unmistakable signs of the drouth SO
much spoken Of in other localities. They
were seen in the short ratiops in the
pasture, short grass on the prairies and
stnnted corn feldu. A new station hiss
been established north Of Parker and
named St. Mary's station. At Iroquois
we noticed quite o marked improvement
in the appearance of the town. Some
new private residences have been erected
since our former visit. a new banking
building and Masonic hall above and o
dry goods store building has the found
alton ready for the structure and the
lumber was being unloaded from the
cars. Also the lumber was being placed
on the ground for an opera house.
Called at the Office OF the Iroquois
Herald and had a very pleasant visit and
received the last issue of the Press.
We omitted to mention the erection
of q fine parsonage building by the Con-
gregational society To Mrs. A. T.
Drake the society is largely indebted for
this improvement. for she collected most
OF the means in the east, on her recent
visit.
Wheat. we were teld by some of the
farmers who brought in grain to sell,
averaged orly about fourteen bushels OF
yield to the acre and was selling at
seventy-fye cents. Flax was command
ing seventy-four cents per bushel. We
formed the acquaintance on the tram OF
Rev. George Lilley, professor OF mathe-
matics in the agricultural college al
Brookings. Mr.. Lilley wal for two
years the president Of that institution
and We learn wa an important factor il
its early history.
We were met ct the station in Dr.
5met by Judge Owen, with whom ]
am to etay while IN town. Judge Over
4 49,. - II a /. + ..
north Of the depot. His grounds I'm.